Gonna get ghillied up and wait with my pellet rifle pointed at the hole under the shed lol 

 

So @TnRiver46; how does a woodchuck steak taste?  Or should a make a “chuck roast” hahaha 

19 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

Gonna get ghillied up and wait with my pellet rifle pointed at the hole under the shed lol 

 

So @TnRiver46; how does a woodchuck steak taste?  Or should a make a “chuck roast” hahaha 

 

they are tasty (dark and gamy like a squirrel), but can be pretty tough.  They are also a bugger to skin

@Smells like fish is the only member I know that has eaten them but it sounds like @casts_by_fly is in that club also. I’d rather not eat that hahaha

we used to shoot a few in early small game season when we were hunting rabbits or squirrels.  Heck, we even got one in the middle of january in freezing conditions.  Thought it was a rabbit when it kicked out of the briar patch.  that was a heavy mile and a half walk back to the truck with a big winter fed groundhog in your gamebag.

If their diet influences their flavor, these ones should taste like cilantro, parsley, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce and black berries. Should be delicious!

Only problem is they still smell like mucking a horse stall. That mixed with BO 

On 6/12/2023 at 1:51 PM, Jar11591 said:

Slow but steady progress. Got about half the area filled with stone. Gonna need another 7 yards or so. Between work, fishing, and obligations my girlfriend makes for me it’s been slow going on this project. It’s almost complete though. Next will be dealing with the woodchuck situation after they completely took out our garden. 

Looking good.

Perhaps the fastest way to get a real good feel for the local herbivore population,

is to plant a new vegetable garden.

Or in my cases a few years back, put out some expensive potted plants.

Deer & rabbits eat them down to the roots in 1 night. 

Tracks told the story. 

My version is, your battle with the local varmint kong might be tough sledding.

They aren't going to stop coming and you can't kill them all (they make more).

Ambitious gardeners up this way have some seriously elaborate 'fences' - including a topper

for prevention.  

I just kept putting out 'deer resistant' plants until I found one they wouldn't eat.

Took a while.

Good Luck

A-Jay

1 hour ago, Jar11591 said:

Gonna get ghillied up and wait with my pellet rifle pointed at the hole under the shed

15 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Looking good.

Perhaps the fastest way to get a real good feel for the local herbivore population,

is to plant a new vegetable garden.

Or in my cases a few years back, put out some expensive potted plants.

Deer & rabbits eat them down to the roots in 1 night. 

Tracks told the story. 

My version is, your battle with the local varmint kong might be tough sledding.

They aren't going to stop coming and you can't kill them all (they make more).

Ambitious gardeners up this way have some seriously elaborate 'fences' - including a topper

for prevention.  

I just kept putting out 'deer resistant' plants until I found one they would eat.

Took a while.

Good Luck

A-Jay

 

When we redid out front landscaping a couple years ago we found out really quick just what 'resistant' means.  It means they will still eat it if they are hungry enough.  We have 3 plants in the front that look kinda like parsley when they grow in.  They get grazed to the ground every winter and come back strong in May.

@A-Jay I can see where this battle is headed, so ill probably get started on one of those elaborate fences sooner than later. We have deer all over the neighborhood but so far they don’t seem to be interested in our backyard. It’s fenced in but only 4’ so if they really wanted to they could enter. I guess I’m lucky it’s only a couple woodchucks, because there isn’t much you can do about deer in a suburban development! 

4 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

because there isn’t much you can do about deer in a suburban development! 

These over grown rats raid my bird feeder daily during the winter months.  They literally tip the bottom and the bird seed flows like water right down their throats.

 

That bird feeder is getting moved to a higher location next winter.

 

I'm not against wildlife by any means.  I like seeing and hearing it where I live in the surburbs.  But I can't be refilling that bird feeder every freaking day so they can enjoy a buffet.

4 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I'm not against wildlife by any means.  I like seeing and hearing it where I live in the surburbs.  But I can't be refilling that bird feeder every freaking day so they can enjoy a buffet.

Yeah I love wildlife. Seeing it, hearing it, I’m all for it. And even if they decided to take up residence in my backyard and were good neighbors that would be totally fine. But the destruction is where I gotta draw the line. And even if there were a non lethal way to evict these woodchucks id absolutely choose that method. But I don’t see it going down like that no matter how much cayenne pepper and epsom salt we use. Me and these wannabe beavers seem to be on a collision course. 

We butt up against woods so have tons of deer and plenty of wildlife. I don’t mind most of it. Mosquitos and deer flies are the worse and receive no quarter. Everything else is safe.  I’m not allowed to shoot the yard deer (we see them enough that we recognize individuals) but interloping bucks during the rut are fair game. 
 

Did a quick trim on the back yard today. It’s just about where I want it to be this year. I’ve been cutting it at 1-1.5” to see if reel mowing is for me. If so, all of this gets burned off in august and fully refurbished in the fall. I think I’m going to do it but let’s see. 
 

 

From yesterday afternoon here . . .

Probably only a couple of years old but can empty that feeder in a couple on nights.

The birds are not happy . . . .

A-Ja

Got another. Y’all making any progress or just watching them make more babies???

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Got another. Y’all making any progress or just watching them make more babies???

 

We’re making lemonade from lemons. Gonna start breeding them. Corner the woodchuck market. Make a killing then buy a new boat. I really should be thanking the woodchucks for such a lucrative opportunity ?

Not exactly a project but once summer comes I cut this unruly vegetation for exercise, clear view of traffic from the stop sign, and the general satisfaction of destroying it. It’s mimosa, walnut, hackberry, wild roses, and poison ivy. I use a weedeater and machete, loppers it I let it get too big. The city mows it with one of those bush hog decks you turn sideways but not exactly often. I don’t even know if it’s my property (cliff) but nobody minds if I cut it haha 

Another alternative:

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=round+up&rlz=1CAOJUW_enUS1060&oq=round+up&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i10i59i512j0i433i512j0i10i512l5j0i512l2.4830j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#oshopproduct=gid:10487298374683613309,mid:576462459368292735,oid:9926376042580922563,iid:7507101318940798888,rds:UENfMTA0ODcyOTgzNzQ2ODM2MTMzMDl8UFJPRF9QQ18xMDQ4NzI5ODM3NDY4MzYxMzMwOQ%3D%3D,pvt:hg,pvo:3&oshop=apv&pvs=0

 

@TnRiver46 dang you’re on a roll 

My attempt to grow a super hot jalapeño has already failed. Woke up this morning to a pepper plant that has been nibbled down to nothing. Which means we have a new pest feasting on our garden because woodchucks don’t eat peppers. Never thought I’d be fighting a war while trying to get my backyard in good shape but now I have no choice. Blood will be spilled! 

2 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

My attempt to grow a super hot jalapeño has already failed. Woke up this morning to a pepper plant that has been nibbled down to nothing. Which means we have a new pest feasting on our garden because woodchucks don’t eat peppers. Never thought I’d be fighting a war while trying to get my backyard in good shape but now I have no choice. Blood will be spilled! 

I’d say mister woodchuck would love to eat a pepper. Or even the pepper plant itself. His accomplices deer and rabbit will too 

16 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’d say mister woodchuck would love to eat a pepper. Or even the pepper plant itself. His accomplices deer and rabbit will too 

But this time the cilantro and parsley were left alone. Man I’m gonna be a biologist by the time I’m done with this project 

3 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

Never thought I’d be fighting a war

31 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

But this time the cilantro and parsley were left alone. Man I’m gonna be a biologist by the time I’m done with this project 

Forget about being a biologist.

If you don't become a fence / containment master, it's already over. You can do it.

I always wanted to be a dentist.

j/k

A-Jay